


Conversation At Dinner

by FlOrangey



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Family Bonding, Family Dinners, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Soup
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-04-05 14:04:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4182657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlOrangey/pseuds/FlOrangey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A nice dinner shared between father and son and the conversation during it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Conversation At Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> Something I wrote up quickly because it was father's day. Always nice to write something short since my stuff usually ends up really really long...

Dinner was quiet, the only sounds being the clock on the wall and the rain pouring outside. It had been a long day of meetings regarding budgets for expansion and research into the Lucis crystal, then there was the arguments for increased military spending, plans for education reform...Regis had finally had enough and called for the end of the day. He was not going to spend another dinner arguing with his counsel. Today he wanted to spend it with his son, a nice peaceful dinner between the two.

Of course Noctis was also now fourteen, which meant that peaceful dinner was likely to have a little bit of drama to it, but he would take it in stride. His son was a teenager. Fourteen years old. There was a time where Regis did not believe his son would reach his teenage years, at ten the boy had been so close to death and then so sick that seeing him reach his eleventh birthday had felt like a miracle. Each year and each day that his son was living and breathing for him was a good day, even those days when his court wanted him to rip his hair out. He had the crystal to thank for saving his son's life and he would treasure every moment with him.

Yet as he gazed at his son’s face he could not help but be concerned. The cook had brought out some soup for an appetizer, the main course was still being prepared. Regis had requested Noctis’ favorite meal, the boys face had a grey tinge and his eyes dark from fatigue, making him look rather run down. Regis could not help but notice he looked thinner than usual. And he doubted it was because Noctis black longsleeve shirt was too big for him.

“Noctis.” He said and the boy stopped spinning the spoon in his soup. “Eat your food.” Noctis said nothing, just stared at the soup before scooping some up and putting it in his mouth. The look on his face was one of distaste.

“It’s cold.” He said.

“It would have been warm if you ate it right away.” Regis said. He saw his son pout drop the spoon in the bowl and push it away. Regis sighed, Noctis was being difficult again. He watched as he saw the boy slouch in his seat, under his bangs his eyes were half open. Regis motioned to a servant and requested a fresh bowl for his son. The servant took the bowl and left. Regis looked at him. “It’s good to have something warm on such a cold day.”

“I’m not hungry.” Noctis muttered. “I’m tired.”

“You should eat something, it will give you energy.” Regis told him. Noctis said nothing just moved his head. “I heard from Ignis that you skipped breakfast again.”

“I was late for my class.” Noctis said. Late for his class, not late for school. Noctis had not gone to school since the accident, the crystal made him to tired to get up at six in the morning, let alone handle an eight hour school day. Regis hired private tutors for him and Ignis helped him keep up. It was important for his son to have as good an education as possible.

“I also heard that you skipped lunch.”

“I wanted to take a nap."

“And that you missed dinner last night because you passed out after training with Gladiolus.”

Noctis said nothing. He had nothing to say, no excuses, and Regis shook his head. “You need to eat. If you don’t eat you’ll make yourself sick. You’re already underweight for your age and height-” Noctis made a noise at the mention of his height. “-and the last thing you want to end up with is an eating disorder. Please eat your soup when it comes out of the kitchen.”

Noctis said nothing and Regis examined his face to make sure his son had not fallen asleep on him. “Noctis.”

“Okay okay! Fine!” The teenager shouted and Regis kept his composure letting his son have his small tantrum before slouching over again, pouting, and falling silent. Regis sighed, teenagers were like bombs of emotion ready to go off at any moment and his son was particularly moody when tired. Regis finished his soup, now all that was left was for Noctis’ to come out and then there dinner.

The clock was again the only noise in the room besides the occasional footsteps that echoed from the hall. Regis missed the livelier dinners between him and his son, when Noctis was still a bundle of energy that always wanted to talk about what happened in his art class, share with him the things he made or complain about his math teacher. He missed having to tell Noctis to sit still, to not try and sneak his pet frogs from the courtyard into the castle, and to not paint pictures on the foyer floor. Before the accident he was always doing something.

Now Regis was hopelessly trying to keep Noctis awake, to make sure his son ate and got proper exercise, and did not stay in bed all day just sleeping. His son's friends kept him going, taking him out to movies or to the park to run around, but sleeping still seemed to be the only thing Noctis wanted to do. Getting out of bed was a challenge, staying on his feet for more than three or four hours at a time was next to impossible. While Regis was grateful the crystal allowed Noctis to keep living, he was not blind to the consequences. His son’s life was never going to be normal again, he’d soon be capable of magic, and old texts brought forward the question on whether or not his son was still even human.

It mattered little. For him having a son that was tired yet alive was preferable to having another gravestone in the courtyard. He couldn’t bury another member of his family.

“Dad?” Noctis’ voice shook him from his thoughts. The boy was looking at him strangely. Regis had actually thought his son had fallen asleep in the chair and he would be waking him up when dinner arrived.

“Yes?”

“When is this going to go away?”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“This.” Noctis raised his arm on the table and rolled down his right shirt sleeve to show what he was talking about. The mark of the crystal resting on his son’s wrist. “When is it going to go away?”

Regis said nothing at first as he stared at the brand before finally answering: “It’s not going to go away.”

“Why not?”

“Noct, you know the stories. You know what will happen when that mark goes away.” When he fulfills the purpose the crystal gave him...

Another silence as Noctis looked at the brand, his face was unreadable from this angle. Finally Noctis soup arrived and was laid in front of him. Noctis looked at the soup then back at his arm. Regis had to make him move his arm back to his side. “Eat.” He said. Noctis nodded and took the spoon. He had a few spoonfuls of the soup before setting it down near the bowl. Noctis was thinking about something. He feared what it was, and when his son spoke up again he found his fear was right.

“I want it to go away.” Noctis said. “I don’t want to have the crystals blessing.”

“Noctis, you know the only reason-”

“I don’t care!” Noctis yelled slamming his fist on the table. The soup spilt a little, but no one dared to get close to clean it up. Not yet. Regis saw his sons tired blue eyes change to red and then back to blue. “I don’t care. I...I want it to go away.” Noctis voice began to crack, his exhaustion was getting to him and Regis saw tears begin to stream down his son's face. He took the boys hand seeing it relax a little. “I’m so tired.”

“I know you are.” Regis said. “And I’m sorry, if there was any other way…” If there had been any other way to save him he would have done it, but the crystal had been his only option. “It will get easier.”

“When?” Noctis asked. Regis had no exact answer for that.

“When you are older.” He said and he saw Noctis frown. He hated that answer, Regis could not blame him. “When you’re older and your body can better handle the crystals power it will be easier.” He smiled and put a hand on Noctis head. The boy glared at him. “You’re stronger than you think you are you know.”

“I don’t feel it.”

“Well you might not now, but you will be capable of great things. To get this far in life, to be able to live with this burden, it will make you strong.”

“I don’t feel strong.” Noctis muttered moving his father’s hand away. “I miss being able to keep up with Gladio, I miss doing things with Iggy besides studying. I miss school!”

Noctis missed school. He never thought he would hear those words ever come out of his son's mouth. If Noctis were still in school he would be beginning his first year of high school...he had a feeling that his son would absolutely despise high school.

“Dad? Am I going to be strong enough to be king?”

The question had caught Regis off guard and despite trying to keep composed, he faltered. “Someday.” He said. It was the only answer he had. His healers had said that while Noctis would continue to improve healthwise there was the possibility that the strain of ruling the kingdom would be to much for him. Regis liked to believe his son would do fine, he did not want to entertain the thought that his son would be incapable of ruling Lucis, but seeing him so tired always made the voices in the back of his mind second guess his belief. He knew Noctis would need help. He would need a good advisor, he hoped Ignis would fulfill that role, and he liked to hope that his son would marry someone that could take on political duties in the event of sudden illness. A strong queen, or duke if it came to it, to stand there by his side.

Those would be thoughts to entertain at another time. Noctis was fourteen, more interested in trying to keep his eyes open during the day than with trying to rule a country. “You’ll make a great king, Noctis.” He told him and Noctis nodded but still looked uncertain. “You’ll probably be better than I am.”

“No!” Noctis said shaking his head. “You’re the best king dad, I don’t think I could be better than you.”

“Well if Ignis ends up your advisor you’ll already have one over me. My advisor is an idiot.” Regis said and looked a little surprised when he saw Noctis laugh. The light laughter brought a smile to the middle-aged mans face. It was good to see his son show a little joy. He looked up to see that dinner was ready, grilled steak tips drenched in sauces that would make his heart hate him in ten years. Noctis gazed at the meal eyes beaming; Regis smiled relieved to see his son did in fact have an appetite. “Now finish your soup so you can have your dinner.”

Noctis did so, taking several spoonfuls before deciding the spoon was making eating to slow and just drank his soup down. Regis shook his head but decided to let the lack of table manners pass for the evening. His son still looked tired but he looked happier. To Regis relief Noctis ate most of his meal. When finished he watched as the teenager leaned back in his chair looking ready to fall asleep. Regis put a hand on Noctis forehead. His son felt a little warm, another small fever. Early bed time it was then.

“Do you want me to take you to your room?” He asked. Noctis looked like he was going to shake his head no, but after some contemplation nodded having a feeling he’d end up falling asleep in the hallway. Regis stood up and with some assistance Noctis did the same stumbling a little. It was almost unnerving how quickly Noctis just ran out of energy. He hoped he was right, that as Noctis got older he would get stronger.

“Dad,” Noctis said looking up at him. “I love you.”

Hearing the words made him smile. “I love you too son.” He said and silently promised that he would be there for his son as long as he could.


End file.
